Tel Nof Airbase

Tel Nof Israeli Air Force Base
IATA: none ICAO: LLEK
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Israeli Air Force
Location	Rehovot
Elevation AMSL	193 ft / 59 m
Coordinates	31°50′22.10″N 34°49′18.64″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 15R/33L 7,835 2,388 Asphalt 15L/33R 7,830 2,387 Asphalt 00/18 9,022 2,750 Asphalt 09/27 6,004 1,830

Tel Nof Israeli Air Force Base (ICAO: LLEK), also known as Air Force Base 8, is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force. Tel Nof is located near Rehovot, Israel. It was founded during the British Mandate as RAF Aqir and served as the main Royal Air Force station in Palestine. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, it was given the name Ekron Airbase. Today Tel Nof houses several fighter and helicopter squadrons. Several special units of the Israel Defense Forces are also based there, including Unit 669 (airborne combat search and rescue) and the paratroopers training center. Tel Nof housed the IAF flight academy until April 1966 when it was moved to Hatzerim Airbase.

It has been alleged that Israeli nuclear weapons are stored in or around the Tel Nof Airbase. In addition, fighter aircraft capable of delivering these nuclear payloads may have been on 24-hour alert there for the past 30 years.

Units

• 106 Squadron (Israel) F-15C/D
• 114 Squadron (Israel) CH-53
• 118 Squadron (Israel) CH-53
• 133 Squadron (Israel) F-15C/D
• Flight Test Center
• Unit 669, airborne combat search and rescue.
• Paratrooper Training Center
• Nuclear weapons facilities

See also

• List of airports in Israel
• RAF Aqir

References

• Tel Nof from globalsecurity.org
• Aeroflight World Airforces
• The RAF in Palestine